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Schedule

The schedule below outlines the topics we will be covering in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments. Note that assignments are due based on North American eastern time (ET). This ensures that all students have the same deadlines regardless of where they live.

Note: The due dates for the assignments are noted in the Course Schedule section of this syllabus, below. Deadlines will be defined as 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the last day of the lesson time frame, unless noted differently.

Lesson 1: Public Administration as a Profession and Field of Study
Readings
  • Mosher, F. C. (1982). Changing concepts of the civil service: The first century and a half. Democracy and the public service (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press (Course e-Reserves).
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 1: Defining Public Administration. Introducing Public Administration, pp. 1–39.
  • Frederikson et al. (2015). Chapter 1: Introduction: The Possibilities of Theory. The Public Administration Theory Primer, pp. 1–13 (Course e-Reserves).
  • Cooper, T. L., & Bryer, T. A. (2007). William Robertson: Exemplar of politics and public management rightly understood. Public Administration Review, 68(5), 816–823 (optional).
Activities
  • Complete the basic steps in the Getting Started page.
  • Review the syllabus and all course assignment requirements.
  • Participate with the entire class in Lesson 1 Self-Introduction via VoiceThread.
  • Participate in Lesson 1 Group Discussion.
  • Sign up for a lesson topic for the News Brief Project. Your News Brief Presentation will be due before the lesson you choose.
  • Begin planning for Interview an Administrator assignment due in Lesson 8.
Lesson 2: The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 3: The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 85–138.
  • Newcomer, K. E., & Kee, J. E. (2011). Federalist No. 23: Can the Leviathan be managed? Public Administration Review, 71(S1), S37–S46.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 2 Group Discussion.
Lesson 3: Federalism and Intergovernmental Relationships
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 3: The Continuous Reinventing of the Machinery of Government, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 86–92 (re-read).
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 4: Intergovernmental Relations, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 139–186.
  • Conlan, T. (2006). From cooperative to opportunistic federalism. Public Administration Review, 66(5), 663–676.
  • Agranoff, R. (2011). Federalist No. 44: What is the role of intergovernmental relations in federalism? Public Administration Review, 71(S1), S68–S77.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 3 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VoiceThread (VT) presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
Lesson 4: The Political and Cultural Environment of Public Policy
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 2: The Political and Cultural Environment of Public Policy and its Administration, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 40–84.
  • Musso, J., Weare, C., Bryer, T., & Cooper, T. L. (2011). Toward "strong democracy" in global cities? Social capital building, theory-driven reform, and the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council experience. Public Administration Review, 71(1), 102–111.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 4 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
  • Submit your group Issue Analysis Project Initial Topic.
Lesson 5: Ethics and Accountability
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 5: Honor, Ethics, and Accountability, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 187–230.
  • O'Leary, R. (2009). When a career public servant sues the agency he loves: Claude Ferguson, the Forest Service, and off-road vehicles in the Hoosier National Forest. Public Administration Review, 69(6), 1068–1076.
Activities
  • Submit your case analysis paper.
Lesson 6: Public Service in Democracy: Managerialism
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 8: Managerialism and Information Technology. Introducing Public Administration, pp. 319–360.
  • Moe, & Gilmour. (1995). Rediscovering principles of public administration: The neglected foundation of public law. Public Administration Review, 55(2), 135–146. 
  • West, D. M. (2004). E-government and the transformation of service delivery and citizen attitudes. Public Administration Review, 64(1), 15-27.
  • Denhardt, R. B. and Denhardt, J. V. (2000), The New Public Service: Serving Rather than Steering. Public Administration Review, 60: 549–559.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 6 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations.You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
Lesson 7: The Evolution of Management and Organization Theory
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 6: The Evolution of Management and Organization Theory, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 231–272.
  • Meier, K. J. (2015), Proverbs and the Evolution of Public Administration. Public Admin Review, 75(1), 15–24.
  • Agranoff, R. (2006). Inside collaborative networks: Ten lessons for public managers. Public Administration Review, 66, 56. Retrieved from
  • Zhang, M. (2009). Crossing the River by Touching Stones: A Comparative Study of Administrative Reforms in China and the United States. Public Administration Review, 69, S82-S87.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 7 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
  • If you have not started to work on the Community Based Learning Project (i.e., a paper based on the analysis of the interview), please do so. If you have, continue to work on it. 
Community Based Learning Project Work Week
Readings
  • None
Activities
  • Continue to work on the Community Based Learning Project (i.e., a paper based on the analysis of the interview).
Lesson 8: Bureaucracy and Public Management
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 7: Organizational Behavior, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 273–318.
  • Gormley, W. T., & Balla, S. J. (2013). Chapter 3: "The Bureaucracy's Bosses" (Course e-Reserves)
  • Wise, L. R. (2004). Bureaucratic posture: On the need for a composite theory of bureaucratic behavior. Public Administration Review, 64(6), 669–680.
Activities
  • Submit your paper based on the interview with an administrator.
Lesson 9: Leadership
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 10: Leadership, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 390–414.
  • Behn, D. R. (1998). What right do public managers have to lead? Public Administration Review, 58(3), 209–224.
  • Williams, B. N., & Kellough, J. E. (2006). Leadership with an enduring impact: The legacy of Chief Burtell Jefferson of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC. Public Administration Review, 66(6), 813–822.
  • Riccucci, N. M., & Getha-Taylor, H. (2009). Managing the "new normalcy" with values-based leadership: Lessons from Admiral Loy. Public Administration Review, 69(2), 200–206.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 9 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
Lesson 10: Program Audit and Evaluation
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 14: Program Audit and Evaluation, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 556–587.
  • Lavertu, S., Lewis, D. E. and Moynihan, D. P. (2013), Government Reform, Political Ideology, and Administrative Burden: The Case of Performance Management in the Bush Administration. Public Admin Review, 73(6), 845–857. 
  • Andersen, L. B., Boesen, A. and Pedersen, L. H. (2016), Performance in Public Organizations: Clarifying the Conceptual Space. Public Administration Review, 76(6): 852–862.

  • De Lancer Julnes, P.  (2006), Performance Measurement: An Effective Tool for Government Accountability? The Debate Goes On. Evaluation, 12(2), 219-235.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 10 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
Lesson 11: Personnel Management and Labor Relationship
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 11: Personnel Management and Labor Relations, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 415–463.
  • Guo et al. (2011). Strategic human resources management in nonprofit organizations. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 31(3), 248–269. 
  • Goodman, D., & Mann, S. (2008). Managing public human resources following catastrophic events: Mississippi's local governments' experiences post-hurricane Katrina. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 28(1), 3–19.
  • Berman, E. M. (2015). HRM in development: Lessons and frontiers. Public Administration Development, 35(2), 113–127.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 11 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
Lesson 11: Social Equity
Readings
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 12: Social Equity. Introducing Public Administration, pp. 464-506.
  • Frederickson, H. (1990). Public Administration and Social Equity. Public Administration Review, 50(2), 228-237.
  • Ewoh, A. I. E. Ewoh (2013). Managing and Valuing Diversity. Public Personnel Management, 42(2),107-122.
  • Guy, M. E. & Fenley, V.M. (2014). Inch by Inch: Gender Equity Since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 34(1), 40-58.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 12 Group Discussion.
  • Review and respond to News Brief VT presentations. You must respond to a minimum of five different topics presented by your classmates by the end of Lesson 11.
Lesson 12: Strategic Management
Readings    
  • Shafritz et al. (2017). Chapter 9: Strategic Management and Government Regulation, Introducing Public Administration, pp. 361–389.
  • Martello, M., Watson, J. G., & Fischer, M. J. (2016). Implementing A balanced scorecard in A not-for-profit organization. Journal of Business & Economics Research (Online), 14(3), 61-74.
  • Johnsen, Å. (2016), Strategic Planning and Management in Local Government in Norway: Status after Three Decades. Scandinavian Political Studies, 39(4), 333–365.

  • Favoreu, C., Carassus, D., & Maurel, C. (2016). Strategic management in the public sector: A rational, political or collaborative approach? International Review of Administrative Sciences, 82(3), 435-453.
Activities
  • Participate in the Lesson 13 Group Discussion.
  • Work on Issue Analysis Final Paper.
Concluding Remarks and Wrap-Up
Readings
  • None
Activities
  • Consultation/Q&A for Issue Analysis Project Final Paper: video conferences.

  • This course utilizes finals week. Submissions of the Group Issue Analysis Paper and the Peer Evaluation are due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) though you may submit it earlier, of course.

 

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